As part of its Silver Jubilee celebration in The Gambia, the Pope John Paul II Foundation, yesterday held an open day forum at the Gambia Pastoral Institute along Kairaba Avenue.

The forum was aimed at enlightening the public about the Foundation and to share experience with beneficiaries of the foundation. In her welcome remarks, Anna Williams, a member of the technical team of the Foundation said that Pope John Paul's Foundation was set up to help alleviate poverty in nine Sahelian countries. These she said, are is irrespective of race or religion.

She urged beneficiaries of the Foundation to work on the projects they received consciously to help make the relationship between them and the Foundation firm so as to reflect the true spirit of the Foundation in the years to come. Francis Mendy, the Catholic Development Office programme manager, thanked the women beneficiaries, noting that most of the succeeded projects were handled by women. He urged the public to consider contributing towards helping the Foundation to fund some of the projects.

Pope John Paul II Foundation was established on February 22, 1984. It is part of the Catholic Church in all the nine Sahelian countries providing support for member countries on the basis of projects submitted and selected by the Foundation's projects committees. His Lordship Bishop Robert Patrick Ellison, the Bishop of Banjul said the role of the Bishops in the nine member countries are to serve as trustee to the Foundation in their respective countries. He said the Foundation was created to help needy people. The fund of the Foundation is administered through the Catholic Development Office (CaDO).